Fascination
by The Remarkable
Summary: Draco Malfoy is a pureblood with high expectations to live up to. But when he finds himself fascinated with an intellectual muggleborn witch, he finds a purpose to life. Hermione Granger has loathed Draco Malfoy from the day he called her mudblood. But when she discovers what he has done and what he is continuing to do, her hatred turns into fascination.
1. ChapterOne

Chapter One

Draco stared out the train window as darkness crept over the horizon. Though he preferred the dark, it was unusual for it to be this dark, this fast. With a sigh, Draco laid out across the booth. Pansy and Zabini left moments ago and Draco had sent Crabbe and Goyle with them. Even he needed time away from those two. Crabbe and Goyle were loyal but they were far from friends. They followed him because of his family's name and his father's power. The same for Pansy and Zabini. Zabini was just an idiot and a jerk and Pansy fawned over Draco every chance she got. It was far from flattering. Draco needed time to clear his head. But it was near impossible to think with any one of them near. So for the time being he sent them away.

The beginning of their third year, his third year. Draco winced and closed his eyes. Another year of hatred and rejection. He sighed. When Draco was younger, his aunt Andromeda would tell him stories of Hogwarts. She told him of the friendships and families made between the students and teachers alike. But Draco had seen nothing of which she spoke of. Maybe amongst the other houses, but not in Slytherin. Slytherins separated themselves from the rest of the school and isolated the house, but they were far from a family.

Draco rubbed his forehead and groaned. He had rarely been able to see his aunt, but when he did, he enjoyed and looked forward to her stories. He wanted to feel that sense of home his aunt spoke of. The Malfoy Manor had never been much of a home. And he had never had much of a family. He had looked forward to having that. Friends, a place to call home, family. But a Slytherin could never have that, and because he was a Slytherin it meant that he couldn't.

It had always been expected that Draco be sorted into Slytherin. The entire family had been. But he had hoped there was a chance he was different. That hat barely touched his head before it made its decision. He had been destined to be a Slytherin. Draco winced at the memory. He could hear the hat's booming voice as it determined his fate.

With a jerk, the train came to a halt and the lights flickered. An eerie screech filled the air and the lights went out. Draco sat up and froze as a shadow passed by outside and the window iced over. With a steady breath, he lowered himself to the ground. A dark shadow passed by the train car's door and the room became dark and cold. Suddenly, every memory he had with his aunt turned sorrowful and any hopes he had vanished. What little happiness he had found in his life was fleeting with despair.

Draco grabbed his head and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to hold on to his thoughts as it passed. In a few minutes the lights came back on and the train began to move again. With a shaky breath, Draco rose and sat on the booth. He knew what had just happened. He had only ever experienced that once before. It was when his father had made him face the dementors, in hopes it would diminish his "hope". But why would the dementors be so close now?

Draco saw a silhouette pass by the car door then stop. Immediately, he knew who it was. Hermoine Granger. He knew that mane of hair anywhere. It bounced with each step as it usually did when she fumed and marched away. Regret it as he did, Draco loved making her mad. He so enjoyed seeing her get angry. Her nose would wrinkle in disgust and her eyes held that feisty fire that he so admired. Draco smiled for a moment but all of his happy thoughts fleeted when he remembered who he was. And more significantly, who she was.

Granger stopped in front of the door and slid it open but froze suddenly when she saw Draco, laid out on the booth. She hesitated then leaned forward. "Malfoy?" She said with uncertainty. Draco startled and shuddered and Hermione tilted her head. "Are you alright?"

Draco looked at her, not bothering to sit up and cleared his throat, being careful as to harden his tone. "I'm fine."

She sighed and nodded. "There was a dementor attack."

Draco lifted his head and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Worry entered his stare but he masked it quickly before she could see. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No."

Draco smirked. "Shame."

Horror entered her gaze and she raised her chin. "You don't mean that." She said with certainty.

Draco rolled his eyes, annoyed at her utter ignorance. "How would you know what I mean?" He spat, spitefully.

Granger hesitated. "Did… did it come near you, Malfoy? The dementor?"

Draco bit his tongue and thought for some kind of comeback. She must have seen his grim expression when she entered or she would not have asked. He swung his legs over the seat and sat up then scowled at her innocent expression. "Worried, were you, Granger?"

"No! I just thought you looked lonely or..." she hesitated.

His head snapped up and he growled at the pity in her voice. "Well, you were wrong!" Draco's voice trembled as he spoke and he choked, trying to cover it. He bowed his head. "I don't need your pity, Granger."

Shock entered her gaze, and her shoulders relaxed a bit. She looked at him skeptically then sighed and closed the door behind her. "I need to speak with you." Draco startled at her sudden gesture. She could hardly stand the sight of him, let alone confront him, alone.

"What do you want?"

Her face hardened at his harsh tone and her eyebrows snapped downward but her features relaxed a bit. "I know what you did last year." She exhaled, "Why?"

Draco froze. She couldn't have known that. There was no way. "I have no idea what your talking about. Go away mudblood!"

Hermoine's eyes widened but she stood firm. She fumed, "Why did you do it?"

"I mean it, Granger! Don't…"

"Draco Malfoy!" She yelled and cut him off, leaving Draco speechless. He was at a loss for words. Never before had she called him by his first name. It was always the same, old, spiteful "Malfoy". Annoyance and anger boiled in the back of his mind. What right did she have to use his full name as if she had some kind of authority over him?

She stared at him, and her gaze bore into his soul. "Why would you do it? Don't deny it. I saw you that day. Last year, at Diagon Alley, in Flourish and Blotts. You held a book, a book about magical creatures. Yet you did not purchase it. Instead you ripped out a page, page forty-nine to be exact. A page about a type of snake, a basilisk, to be precise. The very page that I 'found' in the library, and figured out what the creature in the chamber was."

Hermoine sighed and leaned forward then placed a hand on Draco's arm. He flinched but did not pull away as she looked him in the eye. "You made sure I found that page. You knew we needed it. Why?"

Draco held her stare then shrugged her hand off. "Drop it, Granger."

"So you don't deny it?"

"I can't deny it. You're too smart for me to make a believable excuse. What are you going to do? Run and tell Potter? Blab to all of your Gryffindor friends?"

Hermoine looked abashed and leaned back. "No," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I just don't understand. Why you would help us? Why would you help me? I… I thought you hated me… er… Gryffindors."

She blushed after fixing her slip up and Draco held back from saying anything spiteful. Could that mean that she cared what he thought about her? Draco sighed, "It doesn't mean anything."

Hermoine sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. She stood and walked to the door then turned back. Hermoine looked him straight in the eye and her gaze softened. "It means your better than they give you credit for."

"You mean better than you gave me credit for." Hermione froze and Draco nodded. "That's what I thought."

Granger bowed her head and stopped in the doorway. "You know Malfoy. I do pity you. You have everything you could ever want yet your never satisfied." He saw sympathy enter her eyes and in a voice barely above a whisper she muttered, "Just one happy thought Malfoy. That's all it takes."

He looked up and she was gone, leaving Draco to his thoughts. He worked it out over and over in his mind but nothing seemed to add up. Draco couldn't piece together his own feelings anymore. He didn't know what to think. The silence helped to clear his head, but it didn't last long as he heard shouting in the hall.

Standing, he slid open the door to his compartment and tensed. He saw Granger sitting on the ground with Pike standing over her. He reached over and ripped a chain off her neck then threw it to the ground. "That'll teach you filthy mudbloods to stay out of our compartment." He yelled.

Malfoy fought the urge to hit him square in the jaw and instead stepped in between them. "Stop!" Draco paused for a moment and composed himself. He sighed, letting himself look more relaxed about the situation. He couldn't let Pike catch on to his anger. "Give it up Pike. It's not worth it. Let get dressed. We'll be at the school soon."

"But…"

"Pike! I said, give it up!"

Pike had a defeated look but obeyed and entered the train car. Malfoy turned to follow but glanced back at Hermione, who was holding the broken chain on one hand and cradling her cheek with the other. Anger rose in Draco's chest. Did Pike hit her? He watched as she removed her hand from her face to reach for her wand and blood dripped down her cheek.

Draco winced and held his wand out so she wouldn't see it, then cast a simple spell under his breath. "Episkey." The cut on her cheek sewed back together by magic. With one last glance he grumbled and muttered once more. "Reparo," and the chain mended. Draco knew that she would have known he did it but it made him feel better nonetheless.

Once entering the train car, Draco turned and faced Pike with a scowl. "Did you have to hit her?! She may be a mudblood but she is still a girl."

Pike scoffed. "I wasn't trying to draw blood but she shouldn't have been messing around our courters."

"Still, you'll get us both in trouble."

"Since when do you care about her anyway?"

Draco hesitated, unsure of why he suddenly cared about what happened to her anyway, but shook his head and snapped. "I don't. I just rather we not get detention on the first day."

Pike looked at Draco with uncertainty then shrugged and pulled down his trunk from the overhead compartments.

Still uncertain about his encounter with Granger, Draco pulled out his robes to change. Her sudden… interest or… regard for his actions was amusing yet confusing. He didn't understand her sudden embarrassment at the realization that he did not, indeed, hate her. But he did find her blush to be rather cute.

Still, he did not understand why she would have any sudden interest in him or why it would matter that he wasn't "all that bad". It didn't really mean anything, but for what it was worth he hadn't wanted her to ever be hurt. Draco did not like Weasley or Potter in the least but he had not wanted Hermoine brought into it. But had she chosen them from day one and he could not pursue her. Because of her blood status, his family would never allow such a friendship.

Once the train came to a stop at the station, the horseless carriages took them to the school's entrance. The great hall was grand, as always, adorned with candles hovering high above their heads. Draco took his place at the head of the Slytherin table and waited for the sitting of new first years to begin. He was hungry and tired and ready for bed.

Dumbledore stood, and went through the usually welcome and list of announcements. He introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin. Draco was used to the routine by now, and as it seemed, introducing the new DATDA teacher was a normal occurrence. He was surprised to find that they had the half-giant teaching Care of Magical Creatures now, but that was not a career Draco was interested in pursuing.

When all was said and done, Draco made his way to the dungeons before finishing dinner. He was not hungry and just wanted to get to sleep. Draco's head spun and his stomach churned. Once he reached the Slytherin common room and made his way up the stairs to his dorm and stopped when he reached his bed.

On his pillow lay a small brown paper package. He lifted the package and studied the writing, it had his name on it. Draco grunted and opened it. Inside laid a long, elegantly labeled chocolate bar with a note taped to the top reading 'In the darkest of times, we can find one happy thought in the smallest of things'. He searched the paper for any sign of the sender but nothing other than the neatly written note turned up.

Draco grumbled and plopped down on his bed. His mind raced a thousand miles an hour but his body ached for sleep. Granger had spoken to him, came to him. And not in spite or anger, but for genuine understanding. Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't understand why a muggle born would cause him such confusion. He did not know his exact thoughts or feelings towards her, but it was not complete and utter hate. Draco moaned and buried his face in the covers. It was going to be a long year.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Hermione winced as his hand came down against her face. A sharp pain shot through her cheek and she lost her balance. Her arms automatically flew back as she fell to the ground. Pain shot through her arms as her palms collided with the ground. Pike hovered over Hermione, who sat on her bottom, her legs and arms splayed out like a starfish.

He glared at her, his dark eyes held no sympathy. She flinched when he reached forward and ripped the golden chain from around her neck. "That'll teach you filthy mudbloods to stay out of our compartment." He yelled.

Hermione gasped and a deep voice boomed to her left. "Stop!" She looked up to see Draco Malfoy's tall, thin, figure. His pale face was grim and his forehead creased but she swore she could see red rising to his cheeks. For a split second, she saw anger behind those pale blue eyes. But he quickly composed himself, masking his anger and faced a confused Pike. "Give it up Pike. It's not worth it. Let get dressed. We'll be at the school soon."

"But…"

"Pike! I said, give it up!" Pike grumbled but bowed his head in defeat as he made his way into the compartment. His grubby fingers slammed into the sliding door and he muttered a curse then moved in.

With a gasp, Hermione lifted her hand to her cheek and reached out to grab her necklace. She winced when she pulled her hand away and saw blood drip from her fingertips. She sighed and reached forward, her fingers fumbling to find her dropped wand. But within seconds she felt a slight pinch against her cheek and felt the skin pull back together. Her gaze automatically flew to Malfoy who stood at the door of the compartment, hiding his wand in his sleeve.

Before she had a moment to speak, she heard him mutter something under his breath and the chain in her hand mended. Draco looked back and Hermione saw the side of his lips curl before he snorted and entered the compartment.

Hermoine stared, dumbfounded at Malfoy's sudden act of kindness. She sat there, frozen, unable to move until someone called her name. Ginny made her way down the hall and her eyes widened at Hermione's current state. Automatically, Hermione pushed herself to her feet and raised a hand to comb down her unruly hair. Ginny came forward shyly and smiled. "Ron and Harry are looking for you. We are almost to Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ginny." The young witch gave her a nod and skipped away. She was still warming up to Hermione, and she was still very ashamed of what happened last year. So Hermione was careful to be gentle around her and try to be as welcoming as she could.

With a sigh, Hermione made her way down the hall to where Ron and Harry's compartment was. She faced Harry and smiled. "Are you feeling any better?" She knew that the dementor attack had riled him up fairly well.

Harry nodded then looked up, beyond her and his expression filled with relief. Hermione turned around and saw Professor Lupin standing in the doorway, smiling. He placed a gentle hand on Hermione's back and ushered her in and followed, taking a seat beside Harry. Harry's shoulders relaxed and the tension in his brow disappeared as he looked up to Lupin. "Thank you Professor."

Professor Lupin nodded with a smile. "Of course Harry, my boy. Those dementors should never have entered the train, but that's all taken care of now." He pulled something from his robes and held it out to Harry. "You still look somewhat pale. Here eat this, you'll feel better." Harry took the chocolate with a small smile and Lupin stood. "Well, I think it's time we got ready." He turned and nodded to Hermione. "Miss. Granger." Then left.

Hermoine struggled to fix her robes as the train came to a stop. Hurrying to tie her shoes, she gathered her bags and made her way off the train. Looking about she spotted Harry and Ron, who were currently talking to Hagrid. Hermione made her way to greet them.

Hagrid grinned and held out his arms as Hermione approached. "Mione!" She smiled and hugged him. Hagrid released her and bent over. "I have a surprise fer yuns'.

Harry laughed. "What's that, Hagrid?"

"Oh ho no. Yer jus gonna hav to find out a' dinner." Hagrid smiled brightened and he patted Ron on the back. "Well, I be'er be goin, gotta ge' these firs years to the schoo'." The trio nodded and Hagrid walked away, smiling as he greeted the newcomers.

Ron huffed. "This outta be good." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Wonder what he has in store."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Ron. It's Hagrid."

"Last time he 'had a surprise' we were almost killed." He whined. "Do you remember Harry? The giant spiders?"

Harry chuckled but Hermione was not paying attention. She had caught sight of pale, blond messy hair and grey-blue eyes staring directly at her. Malfoy did not avert his gaze when she caught him, but rather smirked and a glint entered his eyes. They stayed, eyes locked, for several seconds until a group of fifth years walked between them and he disappeared. Hermione struggled to see through the crowd and even caught sight of his messy blond hair but it was no use.

Harry spoke and knocked her out of her trance. "Hey, you okay?"

Hermione shook her head. "Oh er... yeah. Yeah I'm fine."

A blush rose to her cheeks and she growled, shaking her head. Draco Malfoy was nothing more than a spoiled prat who was completely and utterly intolerable. So why was she so fascinated with him? He was smug and rude and...and… "Ugh," Hermione grumbled. She shook her head furiously, trying to clear her mind when Harry and Ron beckoned her to join them in the horseless carriages.

The children entered the great hall and Hermione took a seat next to Harry and Ron. She cast a quick glance back at the Slytherin table to where Draco sat. He had his chin in his hand and appeared to be deep in thought, or rather daydreaming. She couldn't read his expression, his face was a blank slate.

She was almost certain the dementor attack had affected him. More so than maybe even Harry. Hermione looked back to Malfoy and noticed he almost looked depressed. Pansy Parkinson had her hands all over him but he barely seemed to notice, continuing to stare blankly.

Hermione studied the group of Slytherins. She had always thought that the other Slytherins followed Malfoy. He was a bully and they were his henchmen. But Pike had just proved he was crueler than Malfoy had ever been, and Hermione hoped, could ever be.

But it made no sense. Malfoy had many a time been the reason for her tears. With his hateful manner and hurtful words, Hermione had grown to hate him. But today, he had done a kind deed. As discreet as he had tried to be, she knew it was him. And he had stopped Pike from abusing her any further. But why? Why would he have any reason to stop the bullying rather than join in as he usually did?

Hermione sighed and stared at the Slytherin table in thought. Had the other Slytherins been influencing Draco's behaviour? Or worse. Was he only acting this way because he was pressured by Parkinson, Zabini, or even more likely, his parents?

He did hold a high position and she knew there were responsibilities and expectations, but that didn't excuse his cruel behaviour. Many high purebloods were kind and gracious, so there had to be some other reason. Some other explanation. Perhaps it was just the Malfoy name and Slytherin title, or maybe he felt that he was placed on a pedestal. But Hermione knew that that was not who he was. Who he truly was.

It couldn't be. Hermione had figured out it was Malfoy who had laid out the paper from the moment she found it. She wasn't certain, so this year when they were shopping for school supplies, Hermione found the book Draco had been holding and turned to page forty-nine, which was, mysteriously, missing. Why did he so insist on being difficult. He would deny it till his dying day, but she knew it was him.

Hermione growled and took a sip of butterbeer. Why was he so difficult? Completely impossible. She tried so hard to hate him and now everything was changing. Or maybe she was reading too much into it. She looked back to Malfoy, who this time, caught her gaze, and smirked. With a gasp, Hermione spun around, heat rising to her cheeks. How could someone made her so mad and flustered at the same time?

The rest of the night was mostly a blur. She hardly remembered what she ate for dinner by the time they made it to the common room. Harry and Ron were laughing and goofing off with the rest of the students as Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at the portrait of the fat lady. Seamus stood in front, trying to get her to open the door. "Fortuna Major!" He shouted.

"Wait, wait, wait!" She burst out, singing as high as she could, yet the glass in her hand would not break. She sucked in a deep breath once more and practically screamed as the students and other portraits covered their ears. Finally, the fat lady gave up and smashed the glass off the wall. "Amazing!" She proclaimed. "Just with my voice."

Hermione stepped up and kept her voice loud and stern. "Fortuna Major!"

The fat lady sighed, "Fine. Alright, alright."

Hermione said her goodnights to Harry and Ron then headed up to her dorm. She smiled at Crookshanks, who had already made himself cozy on her pillow. Hermione reached over and gently shooed him from the bed and sat down. It didn't take long for her to settle and compose herself before she began to unpack her things. Finally, straightening her favorite muggle books on the nightstand she took a step back and sighed. She was ready for bed, but it would be nice to get cleaned up and changed first. The long train ride always made her feel uncomfortably in need of a shower.

Hermione sighed and looked back to her desk. Beside her journal and quill laid a chocolate

bar that Lupin had given her after the dementor attack. At that moment, a sharp peck at the window drew her attention away. Hermione rolled her eyes and opened the window as Athena, the Hogwarts owl she had always chosen to use, swooped in. Crookshanks gave a small hiss and scurried under the bed and Athena perched on Hermione's dresser.

Hermione's eyes widened as a thought came to her and she sat down on the bed. She contemplated whether or not she should go through with it then sighed. He had saved her from Pike's anger. Hermione grumbled and pulled the chocolate bar from her dresser and a piece of brown paper from her desk drawer. Wrapping the chocolate bar, Hermione muttered a string of snide words and berated herself. Why did it even matter if Malfoy was upset or depressed? He deserved it.

Finishing wrapping the package, Hermione froze wondering what to put on the label. She simply wrote 'Draco Malfoy' not even attempting to disguise her handwriting. Not like he would recognize it. Hermione growled and pulled a piece of parchment from the desk and wrote a small note then put it inside the package. Still unsure of why she was doing it, she strapped the package to Athena's leg and sent her out the window.

Hermione wasn't sure how he would react, or if he would even accept the gift but she felt better nonetheless. Whether or not he was a spoiled prat, he had helped her when he didn't need to. She felt that this would be doing him at least a little favor, if anything. She didn't think anybody should feel depressed. Deserving or not. She just didn't know what it meant for Malfoy.

Gathering her clothes, Hermione made her way to the bathroom. Turning the faucet on, she waited for the water to heat up and began to strip her clothes. The hot stream of water felt good and Hermione stood there for a good five minutes. Then she pulled out the soap and lathered it in her hands until bubbles appeared and ran her finger through her unruly hair.

It always tangled up and she could never keep it under control. Thought the hot water felt good her mind would not relax. Every now and again her thoughts drifted back to Malfoy. She would shake her head and continue

Once she had shampooed and conditioned her hair she scrubbed her skin and stepped out of the shower. Feeling refreshed, Hermione made her way to her bed in her new Quidditch pajamas. They were the deep red of Gryffindor's house colors and had golden snitches splattered throughout the design of the Gryffindor's lion emblem.

With her head clear, Hermione's mind wandered back to Malfoy. A rush of confusion, anger, and hatred washed over her. She had no idea how she felt about him at the moment but she couldn't bring herself to think very much of him at the moment. The word 'mudblood' flooded her memory. Only he had brought her pain using that word.

Hermione sighed and climbed into bed then buried her bare feet under the covers. The cool sheets felt good against her skin. Turning off her light, Hermione laid back and willed herself to go to sleep. With a groan, she buried her face beneath her blanket. She needed to stop thinking about Malfoy.


End file.
